Description
1st Phorm Opti-Reds 50
Opti-Reds is the counterpart to Opti-Greens 50: 50 red and purple fruits, vegetables and herbs in a daily drink. Greens cover the leafy end of the spectrum, reds cover the pigmented end.
Your note is right that blood flow is the headline, and there is a genuine mechanism behind it worth understanding.
How beets actually work, which is the best-evidenced thing here
Beetroot is the largest ingredient in this formula, and it is the one with the strongest research behind it.
Beets are rich in dietary nitrate. When you consume nitrate, bacteria on your tongue reduce it to nitrite, which is then converted to nitric oxide in the body. Nitric oxide relaxes the smooth muscle in blood vessel walls, widening them and increasing blood flow.
This is the nitrate–nitrite–nitric oxide pathway, and it is genuinely well studied. Beetroot's effects on blood flow and exercise performance are among the better-supported findings in sports nutrition — considerably better supported than most things in a superfood powder.
One practical consequence nobody mentions: that first step depends on bacteria living on your tongue. Antibacterial mouthwash kills them, and studies have shown mouthwash use blunting the nitric oxide response to dietary nitrate. If you take this for blood flow, do not rinse with antibacterial mouthwash right afterwards.
That is the kind of thing we would tell you at the counter, and it is on no other page selling this product.
Why red pigments specifically
The colours in plant foods are the compounds doing the work:
- Anthocyanins give red, purple and blue fruits their colour — berries, cherries, red cabbage
- Carotenoids produce orange and yellow — sweet potato, carrot
- Polyphenols appear across the range including white foods
These are all antioxidants, and they work through different mechanisms, which is the argument for eating a range of colours rather than a lot of one. A reds powder and a greens powder cover different parts of that spectrum, which is why 1st Phorm sells them as a pair.
The honest criticism of this label
Independent reviewers have made a fair point about Opti-Reds and you should hear it.
The Cardio Health Blend — beet extract, sweet potato and cabbage — is around 6,200mg of a roughly 8,000mg serving. That is close to 80% of the formula in three ingredients.
Which means the remaining 47 ingredients share about 1,800mg between them. Individually, most are present in small amounts.
Our read: that is a reasonable formulation decision rather than a con, because the three ingredients carrying the weight are the ones with the best evidence — beetroot especially. A product that spread 8,000mg evenly across 50 ingredients would have a beautiful label and 160mg of everything, which would do less.
But buy it understanding what it is: a well-dosed beet supplement with a broad antioxidant blend alongside it, not fifty individually meaningful ingredients. If you want a reds powder where every ingredient is individually dosed, this is not that, and no product at this price is.
Specs
| Ingredients | 50 red fruits, vegetables and herbs |
| Serving size | ~8,000mg |
| Cardio Health Blend | ~6,200mg (beet extract, sweet potato, cabbage) |
| Key compounds | Anthocyanins, carotenoids, polyphenols |
| Gluten free | Yes |
| Vegan | Yes |
| Non-GMO | Yes |
| Dairy free | Yes |
| Formats | Tub or single-serve stick packs |
How to take it
- One scoop in water. It mixes into anything — water, juice, or alongside other powders.
- Roughly 90 minutes before training if performance is the goal. Nitrate takes time to convert through the pathway; peak plasma nitrite is typically two to three hours after intake.
- Or any time daily if general antioxidant intake is the goal.
- No antibacterial mouthwash around it. See above — it interrupts the first conversion step.
- Daily and consistently. The antioxidant side builds over time.
- Do not be alarmed by beeturia. Beets can turn urine and stool pink or red. It is harmless, it is a known and documented effect, and it startles people who have not been told.
Who this is for
- Anyone who does not eat many coloured fruits and vegetables, honestly assessed
- People training who want the blood flow effect, which is the best-evidenced reason to buy it
- Anyone already using Opti-Greens who wants the other half of the spectrum
- People who want a beet product that tastes like something they will drink
Who this is not for
If you want a maximally dosed beet or nitrate product specifically for performance, a dedicated beetroot extract or citrulline product delivers more nitric oxide support per dollar. This is a broader product.
If you take blood pressure medication, speak to your doctor. Nitrate raises nitric oxide, which lowers blood pressure — that is the mechanism, and stacking it with medication doing the same thing is worth a conversation.
If you eat plenty of colourful produce already, this is a supplement in the truest sense.
Unlike Opti-Greens, this does not carry NSF Certified for Sport. If you compete in a tested federation, that distinction matters.
Stack it with: Opti-Greens 50, which is the intended pairing and covers a genuinely different part of the spectrum.
Frequently asked questions
How does beetroot improve blood flow?
Beets are high in dietary nitrate. Bacteria on your tongue convert nitrate to nitrite, which the body converts to nitric oxide. Nitric oxide relaxes blood vessel walls, widening them and increasing flow.
Does mouthwash really interfere with it?
Yes. The first conversion step relies on bacteria in your mouth, and antibacterial mouthwash kills them. Studies have shown it blunting the nitric oxide response to dietary nitrate. Avoid it around your dose.
When should I take it before training?
Around 90 minutes to two hours before, since peak plasma nitrite typically occurs two to three hours after intake.
What is the difference between Opti-Reds and Opti-Greens?
Different parts of the plant spectrum. Greens covers leafy grasses and vegetables with digestive enzymes and probiotics. Reds covers pigmented fruits and vegetables and leads on nitric oxide. They are designed as a pair.
Why is my urine pink?
Beeturia — a harmless and well-documented effect of eating beets. Nothing is wrong.
Are all 50 ingredients meaningfully dosed?
No. About 80% of the serving is beet extract, sweet potato and cabbage. Those are the best-evidenced ingredients, so it is a defensible choice, but the remaining ingredients are present in small amounts.
Can I take it with blood pressure medication?
Speak to your doctor first. Nitrate lowers blood pressure by design, and combining it with medication that does the same warrants a conversation.
Is it certified for sport?
No, unlike Opti-Greens 50 which is NSF Certified for Sport. Worth knowing if you compete.
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